Indian team is blessed to have many coaches. The likes of John Wright, Gary Kirsten have all done a phenomenal job to do wonders with the Indian team. Along with the overseas mentors, India has also found a lot of good Indian coaches. Krishnamachari Shrikant, Rahul Dravid are a few to name. But one name which stands tall amongst all the others is certainly Ravi Shastri. A good player of his generation, maybe not the best, he made sure that he turns out into one of the best coaches for Men in Blue. His tenure as a coach saw the team scale new heights. And the reason for him to be so successful was his mental strength, which overpowered everything.

Always fond of cricket, Shastri contributed to Indian cricket since a long time. He was a part of world cup winning squad of 1983. He had a habit of grabbing the headlines for the right reasons. He had once hit 6 sixes in an over in domestic circuit. His technique was good, and so was his bowling. But his most important strength was that he was psychologically very strong. And it reflected everywhere where he went. The same was the reason why he used to reply with the meanest of sledges with befitting replies, and same helped him to give apt answers while commentating if other nation commentators criticized India. And perhaps it helped him the most when he mentored India.

Appointed as the coach of Indian cricket team in 2017, he made an immediate impact. His selection was made by a panel comprising of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, who understood early on that he might align with Virat better. Prior to him, it was Anil Kumble who was assigned the role of head coach of India, and he had great plans but had contrasting opinions with Virat. And the same led to a feud between the duo which eventually didn't go any good for the nation. Understanding the situation and the stubbornness of Virat on following the aggressive approach, the best person for him to associated with was Ravi Shastri. Both of them thought on similar lines and were thought to yield positive outcomes for the team.

And exactly the same happened. The duo always retorted to the aggressive approach, which involved a potential risk of loosing the game. The though process of going for a victory no matter what was a high risk high reward kind of strategy. But the same strategy did wonders for the Indian team to a greater extent. There were days when Indian team were looking to save the defeat in test matches happening abroad. Under Dhoni's leadership the nation saw the Indian team pushing for a draw and a one odd victory in abroad tests. And the leadership of Virat, under the guidance of Ravi Shastri saw the Indian team with a changed approach which was ready to take on the hosts and which would only go for a win in any abroad location as well.

The same resulted in exponential rise of overseas win by the Indian team. A famous statement made by Ravi Shastri describing the team meeting said that they said to themselves to do hell with the pitch, and won't consider it to be a factor. He also said that the team would purely focus on their skill sets and would just ensure that they are outplaying every opponent at any venue in the world. Which is why Men in Blue were so successful in SENA countries. The team firstly won the 2018-19 Border Gavaskar Trophy, then won the 2021 NatWest Test series with the famous Lord's test victory under him. And perhaps the best of the victories to come under his regime was the historic test of Gabba, where Rahane's leadership and his guidance helped the team did the unthinkable by winning the ultimate test match and series.

These series wins are a testament of what he achieved. During his tenure, Indian team was feared by all the opponents even when the matches happened in their own backyard. It was his mental toughness which he transferred to the players which resulted in these victories. Which is why he was happy to hear the conversation between Gill and Pant to go for a victory in the Gabba test, few hours before the final day of the match. He always gave the players a free hand to do what they wanted and never thought of fairplay or ethical behaviour. Which is why, he yielded the results for our team like no other coach did. He had a lion's share in taking the team to newer heights, and his tenure also saw revival of aggression in test matches. Which is why, he was more successful than what one thinks about him.

His success is evident from the fact that post his retirement after 2019 World Cup, he was reappointed as the head coach and think tank of the team with an extension till 2021. Normally a coach's tenure is not extended in India, as there are plenty of options and coaches lined up for filling the void. And when someone like him was recalled back, it shows on how much the board trusted him. And rightly so, just as sweet and pleasing his commentary was, equally pleasing and memorable was his tenure as a coach. Be it with his batting, bowling, commentary or his coaching, he ensured that he is remembered by all the Indian cricket fans in multiple ways. One might once forget what their parents say about them, but one will never forget Shastri's golden words from 2007, 2011 World Cups and on numerous other unforgettable occasions. And similarly the newer generation will never forget how good a coach he was. A great player, a phenomenal commentator and one of the best coaches of India in the form of Ravi Shastri celebrates his 62nd birthday today. And we wish this chocolate boy of Indian cricket a very happy birthday.